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Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Marquette Men’s Soccer: Fast start key to more victories

Bryan Ciesiulka, #20, protects the ball. Photo by Aaron Ledesma/aaron.ledesma.edu

It’s become a trend for the Marquette men’s soccer team to allow its opposition the first punch in the heavyweight fight that a game of Division I soccer often becomes.

But in the last two matches, Marquette has taken the first swing.

Marquette scored first in its 1-1 draw against Wisconsin (5-3-2) on Tuesday and did so again Saturday night in its 2-0 victory over Rutgers (4-4-1, 1-1 Big East) in its Big East home opener.

“We wanted them to. And we asked them again to. And I think they took that to heart and said, ‘OK,’” associate head coach Stan Anderson said of his team’s early aggression. “There was good talk in training, there was good talk before the game, there was good talk at the interval, so I think the guys took that to heart and accepted the challenge to go in and value these 90 minutes.”

Sophomore midfielder Bryan Ciesiulka knocked in Marquette’s game-winning goal in the 14th minute against Rutgers — only Marquette’s second goal in the first 15 minutes of play this season.

“Coaches have been on us about coming out strong. The word they gave us for (Saturday’s) game was ‘buzzing,’” sophomore defender Eric Pothast said. “And we wanted to get the atmosphere going at a high tempo right away. And so we stepped onto the field and got right after it. And there’s no easing our way into games anymore. It’s all ‘go hard right from the start.’”

In four of its first five games of the season Marquette (4-4-2, 2-0 Big East) went down at least one goal before tallying its first goal. Prior to the matches with Wisconsin and Rutgers, Marquette was outscored 5-2 in the first half this season.

Pothast said part of the problem is that Marquette likes to “feel” its way into games.

“We kind of want to see what the opposition is going to bring as the game progresses … and it’s just soccer when it comes down to it,” Pothast said. “From now on we just need to come out and press them instead of taking the blows and trying to dig ourselves out of a hole we create.”

Junior midfielder Ryan Robb, one of three players to wear the captain’s armband for Marquette, said the team’s traditional slow start has been frustrating.

“We’ve been in games and we haven’t taken our chances,” Robb said. “Football is one of those games … if you don’t take your chances then you don’t win games. I think at the start (of games) that’s where we’ve really struggled.”

Anderson wishes he had the solution to Marquette’s slow start and to have a way to ensure that the first half of play produced against Wisconsin and Rutgers is reproduced the rest of the season.

“I’d write a book, sell it, and a lot of coaches would buy it,” Anderson said, if he could guarantee Marquette would replicate that first half style of play. “We’re working with guys that want to do that (start games well). It just hasn’t happened. Who knows what will happen next game. But we want it to be the same way.”

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